Album Review

Paul Dolby has been an integral figure in West London's broken beat scene since its late-'90s beginnings. He's done some stellar production work with G Force and on his own for Reinforced, Bitasweet, and 2000 Black -- not to mention his status as a founding member of Bugz in the Attic. But his reputation is due in significant part to his string of remixes, 11 of which are compiled on this disc. What becomes evident with this collection is that Dolby can hardly be criticized for repeating himself or for adding a certain trademark that immediately signifies his handiwork. Neon Phusion's "Space Jam" is transformed from a rather relaxed workout with pleasant flute trills and light keyboard flourishes into an intense rush of percussion. On the other end, his remix of Reunion's "Eona" is less intensified and full of open spaces, though the fractured beats hit even harder than the ones in "Space Jam." Dolby's no stranger to broken beat's proclivity for numerous aliases; six selections were remixed under his Opaque alias, and another is credited to Disorient. It's under the latter guise that Dolby provides a mix of the Joakim Lone Octet's "Melting Blue Ice," which penetrates immediately with a repetitive cluster of synthetic handclaps that last throughout its seven minutes. Opaque's remix of P'taah's "The Crossing" is another bright spot, utilizing a rusted-out keyboard vamp and some extremely agile stop-start dynamics. Remix collections have been traditionally known for being packaged with hardcore followers in mind, but the appeal of this one reaches beyond that. Not only do remixes play a huge factor in this scene (thanks in no small part to Dolby's output); Remixes is just as recommendable as a broken beat first purchase as it is an essential compilation for seasoned followers of the form.